Friday, December 5, 2008

Gopal’s ouster in 2000 sets a precedent for Chair election to happen without notice.

It seems that the State Central Committee could elect a new Chair when they meet this weekend. Previously we were lead to believe that the election would occur on January 10th. According to 2nd District SCC member David Chung, no 10 day notice required to have a chair election. However the party by-laws do stipulate that a written agenda outlining the subjects to be covered at the meeting has to be included, and while SCC members can request items for discussion, it needs to be done prior to the notice.

I was able to get my hands on the minutes from the September 18, 1999 SCC meeting. This was the meeting in which current Chairman Kayne Robinson asked for Gopal Krishna removal as the Party’s Co-Chair. Ultimately, Lisa Smith (a current SCC member) delivered Gopal’s letter of resignation to the committee.

Before that however the committee had a long debate on whether or not they could vote to remove Gopal since it was not included in the agenda. The committee decided that they could remove him since the agendas that are sent out are often vague. This is further strengthened when the committee voted Leon Mosley as Co-Chair of the Party at the same time.

So here’s the deal. The SCC can elect a new chair tomorrow if they choose to. I would urage you to contact your SCC members and tell them not to do so. Are all the potential chair candidates going to be at this weekends meeting? Are the only two candidates for Co-Chair Leon Mosley and Ted Sporer? Additionally, if it is true that there is support of the Gopal/Sporer slate some county activists might what to hear from their SCC members why this is the best direction for the party before the vote is taken, not after.

There are qualified candidates for the Chair and co-chair positions. They are willing to serve, and prepared to make their case to the SSC. Why would anyone rush to elect people who aren't qualified, have a negative history within the party, and don’t appear to be willing to run on a specific plan for reforming the party or reclaiming the state?

I think the SCC should not vote for a new chair and co-chair this weekend. Gopal was thrown out once, twice will be better for the party!! Do not put him and Sporer in as the head of the party in Iowa. We need people who will work with the grassroots! Not dividers. If Leon Mosley is running again for co-chair, there is none better!!! Listen up SCC. We need Leon more than ever.

Iowa GOP censures leader By James Q. Lynch The Gazette DES MOINES — The Iowa GOP State Central Committee on Saturday censured one of its representatives to the Republican National Committee. The committee, which oversees the state party’s activities, voted 8-7 to censure Kim Lehman, citing a conflict between her role in the party and as head of Iowa Right to Life. Although some wanted to oust her from party leadership, the Central Committee had no authority to remove a national committee member. Central Committee member David Chung of Cedar Rapids made the censure motion. He said he was satisfied with the result. “The issue is closed at this point,” he said after the committee met in Des Moines. “We have work to do as a party and we need to move on. I think people are ready to move on.” At issue was a pre-election flier distributed by Iowa Right to Life criticizing the 2nd District GOP U.S. House candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks. The group said she should get the “Great Pretender Award” for her statements opposing abortion. Second District Republicans said Lehman had conflicting roles and had damaged her credibility in the party. Division remains, however, according to Linn County GOP Chairman Jim Conklin. County GOP leaders want to create opportunities for fiscal conservatives and libertarians to play a more active role, he said. The committee deferred a decision on a new party chair until January. Chairman Stewart Iverson, a former state senator, resigned. Several names have been mentioned as successors, including former Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate, a former state senator and Iowa secretary of state, and Christopher Reed of Marion, who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin in November.